Autonomous vehicle taxi/delivery service

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a system, method, and software for operating a taxi and delivery service using a fleet of autonomously driven vehicles amassed from a plurality of unassociated individuals and providing a graphical user interface for interested parties to register their vehicles for use and for customers to schedule services.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention claims priority to and the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/470,977 filed Mar. 14, 2017, thecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

N/A

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an autonomous vehicle taxi service usinga fleet of vehicles owned by a plurality of unassociated people, andmore particularly to a control system for registering vehicles for usein the fleet, taking and scheduling route orders, selecting a vehiclefrom the fleet to service the request, tracking the vehicles, andbilling clients and paying vehicle owners a rental fee for temporary useof their vehicle(s).

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Autonomous driving vehicles are under development by car manufacturersas well as the infrastructure to accommodate them on today's roads. SAEInternational has developed definitions for six levels of drivingautomation Levels 0-5 (FIG. 6). Levels 0-2 require a human driver tomonitor the driving environment and levels 3-5 require an automateddriving system to monitor the driving environment. Vehicles of levels0-2 are on the road today and have an onboard control system forassisting a driver of a host vehicle in tracking adjacent vehicles.Existing driver assist systems include adaptive cruise control, forwardcollision warning, lane keeping and lane departure systems, and thelike. These systems utilize input from sensors such as RADAR, LIDAR,LASER and optical cameras to track vehicles surrounding the hostvehicle. The onboard systems can take measures such as flashing awarning light on the dashboard, side-view or rear-view mirrors, or otherdisplay and by applying brakes to slow or stop the host vehicle.

Vehicles of levels 3-5 are being tested on today's roads but are notavailable for purchase by the general public on a large scale in theUnited States. In order to ascend to SAE Level 4 and above, a keyelement must be created to allow for automobiles of all shapes and sizesto freely navigate our highway and road infrastructure. We willexperience a gradual blend of varying levels of Autonomous andNon-Autonomous vehicles.

Fully autonomous vehicles of level 5 offer opportunities that otherautonomous vehicles of lower levels cannot provide. That is, theautonomous driving vehicles having a full level 5 automation can be usedfor money-making endeavors when not in use by the owner. The presentinvention provides such an opportunity for such vehicles to be used in ataxi/delivery service. For example, if an owner of such afully-automated vehicle uses the vehicle to commute to and from work,for example, the vehicle will be idle while at work and while at home.This presents time periods in which the vehicle can be used to deliverpassengers or inanimate objects from one location to another. Thevehicles can also be made available for rental over a period of timewhere a customer can use the vehicle as he or she sees fit.

The present invention provides a system and method for owners ofautonomous vehicles to register their vehicles with a taxi/deliveryservice that can schedule such vehicles for use for a rental fee. Suchsystem can create a fleet of autonomously driven vehicles of level 5automation owned by unassociated owners in diverse geographicallocations to render a taxi/delivery service without the need of theprovider of such services to purchase a fleet of vehicles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a system, method, and software foroperating a taxi and delivery service using a fleet of taxis amassedfrom a plurality of unassociated individuals. The taxi/delivery serviceprovides a web-enabled registration GUI for owners of autonomouslydriven vehicles to register their vehicles for use in the taxi anddelivery service. The service provider will register a plurality ofautonomously driven vehicles to define a fleet of vehicles. The servicewill also provide a customer GUI for a customer to request the use of anautonomously driven vehicle from a pick-up location to a destinationlocation or for a period of time, each with an associated fee. Theservice provider will select a suitable vehicle from the fleet ofvehicles based on the customer's request, and the proximity of thevehicle to the pick-up location, among other possible considerations.The service provider will deploy the selected autonomously drivenvehicle from its current location to the pick-up location and entereither the destination location into a navigation system or a timeperiod during which the customers can use the selected autonomouslydriven vehicle as a rental car. The service provider will be equipped toreceive payment from the customer for the taxi and delivery service. Theservice provider will also be equipped to remit payments to the ownersof fleet vehicles. The taxi/delivery service also provides for thedelivery from a pick-up location to a destination location of inanimateobjects and non-human living entities.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To understand the present invention, it will now be described by way ofexample, with reference to the accompanying drawings and attachments inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a graphical user interface for owners of an autonomouslydriven vehicle to register their vehicle for use in a taxi/deliveryservice.

FIG. 3 is a graphical user interface for registered owners of a fleetvehicle to monitor their vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a graphical user interface for a customer to register for ataxi/delivery service and a ride order placement.

FIG. 5 is a graphical user interface for a taxi/delivery serviceprovider to manage and monitor fleet vehicles, accounts, and weatherconditions, for example.

FIG. 6 is a Summary of Levels of Driving Automation for On-RoadVehicles.

FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of an autonomously driven vehicle.

FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of a system for providingtaxi/delivery services.

FIG. 9 is a schematic representation of a server for providing thefunctions and communications to provide taxi/delivery services using afleet of autonomously driven vehicles owned by a plurality ofindividuals or entities unassociated with one another.

FIG. 10 is an exemplary courier GUI.

FIG. 11 is an exemplary car-rental GUI.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many differentforms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described indetail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understandingthat the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification ofthe principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broadaspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.

The present invention provides a method, a non-transitory computerreadable media for carrying out the method when run by a computerprocessor, and a system of electronically connected servers havingprocessors running the software to carry out the method. FIG. 1 shows aflowchart of a method 100 for operating a taxi and delivery serviceusing a fleet of vehicles owned by a plurality of owners unassociatedwith one another. At step 102, a provider of the taxi services providesa first web-based user-interface for owners of autonomously drivenvehicles to register their vehicles for use in the taxi and deliveryservice. At step 104, a provider of the taxi/delivery service willprovide a webpage or web-based interface for registering a plurality ofautonomously driven vehicles to define a fleet of vehicles. At step 106,a provider of the taxi/delivery service provides a first web-basedinterface for a customer to request the use of an autonomously drivenvehicle from a pick-up location to a destination location, or for use bythe customer of the vehicle for a period of time, for a fee.

At step 108, the provider of the taxi/delivery service will implement asoftware system for selecting an autonomously driven vehicle from thefleet of vehicles based on the availability of the vehicle, and theproximity of the vehicle to the pick-up location. Other parameters canbe taken into account when selecting a fleet vehicle. At step 110, afterselecting a suitable fleet vehicle, the vehicle is deployed from itscurrent location to the pick-up location. At step 112, the destinationlocation is entered into a navigation system, or a time period where thecustomers can use the selected autonomously driven vehicle. At step 114,the provider of the service receives payment from the customer for thetaxi and delivery service. At step 116 the provider of the service paysthe owner of the vehicle an agreed amount for use of the vehicle.

FIG. 2 shows a web-based user interface 200 for an owner of anautonomous driving vehicle to register a vehicle for use by a taxiservice. The user interface 200 will include data fields such as theowner's name 202, a vehicle type 204 (make, model, etc.), a VIN number206 of the vehicle, a license plate number 208, a terms of use datafields 210 and a scheduler 212 to specify the dates and time periodswhen the vehicle is available for use by the taxi service.

The terms-of-use fields 210 can specify conditions such as maximumdistance of a ride request 210 a, no smoking in the vehicle 210 b,acceptable geographical areas 210 c, no food or drink 210 d, maximumnumber of passengers 210 e, location for refuel, repair or service 210f, among many other possible terms. In one form of the invention, theterms of service, which could include physical access to the vehicle canbe expressed as key types. For example, a personal key, a valet key, amaster key, an OEM key, and a timed key. The permission keys can beimplemented in software or by physical items that are brought into thesensors of the vehicle for reading the permission level from thephysical key. A personal key permission level would allow for use of thevehicle without limitation to speed and direction. A valet keypermission level would only allow the vehicle to be driven at low speedsand for short distances. A master-key permission allows a person toregister the vehicle and to select the terms of use. An OEM key isissued by the manufacturer of the vehicle and allows for servicing orrecall of the vehicle to specified dealer locations for scheduledperiods of time. The timed key is one that works for a specified periodof time or for a single trip.

The scheduler 212 will provide a calendar for specifying the date andtime periods where the vehicle will be available. The interface willallow for selecting dates and times using features typically availablewith calendaring software such as in Microsoft Outlook for example. Uponsuccessful registration of the vehicle with the service provider, afleet vehicle identification number is issued 214 and displayed to theowner.

FIG. 3 shows an example of an owner's web-based interface 300 formonitoring the location of a registered vehicle by fleet vehicle number314 which can be entered into a data field or selected from a drop downlist. The interface 300 also has a field or area on the screen 302 fordisplaying a map showing the location of the owner's vehicle. Preferablythe display will include a map showing the location of the vehicle, thespeed of the vehicle, the heading of the vehicle, the operatingparameters 304 of the vehicle. The operating parameters can include thepresent speed of the vehicle, odometer reading, oil pressure, oiltemperature, fuel level, tire pressure, battery life, repair historyamong many other parameters that can be measured to describe thevehicle's functioning. The interface 300 provides a log 306 of tripsthat have been taken and a schedule 308 of future trips. The interface300 can also provide a field 310 showing the amount of money earned bythe vehicle for any selected period of time.

FIG. 4 shows a customer graphical user interface (GUI) 400 for acustomer to place ride orders. In one preferred form, the customer GUIwill be employed by an app on a cellular telephone so a customer canplace ride orders using a cellular telephone, among other electronicdevices. Initially, customers will first download the app and go througha registration process where they will enter their names 402, a personalimage (selfie) 403 (which can be used by facial recognition softwarewith input from onboard camera(s) described below), cell phone number404, biometric information 405 (e.g., a finger print or iris scan),email address 406, billing address 408, and a password 410, for example.Upon successful registration, the customer will be issued an accountnumber 412.

The customer GUI 400 will have a portion for the customer to specify apayment method 414 and will include fields, for example, to enter creditcard information such as an account number 416, expiration date, and asecurity number such as a CSC or CVV.

The customer GUI 400 will also have a Ride Order section 420 where thecustomer can specify a pick-up location, preferably by indicating on amap 423 or entering the location with a data entry device like akeyboard, keypad, or microphone. The customer can also specify adestination location 424 using a map 425 or other data entry device. Adata field 427 is provided to enter a pick-up time 426 and a pick-update 428,429. The customer GUI 400 has a section 430 for selecting adriver. A driver is optional but one may be necessary if, for example,the vehicle is being used to transport inanimate objects and a “driver”is necessary to assist in loading the vehicle or to take over control ofthe vehicle in the event it becomes necessary for whatever reason. Adata field 431 allows for a customer to enter a name of a driver or topick the driver from a list of names. The customer interface can providerating information for each driver to assist in the selection of adriver. The customer interface also provides a section 432 for thecustomer to select a vehicle type 433 such as automobile, truck,motorcycle, bus, limousine, drone, etc. The customer interface 400 alsohas a section 434 for the customer to specify the number of passengers435.

The customer can enter this information and will be provided, in a pricesection 436, and amount of the fee 437 for the taxi/delivery service.The customer interface has a section 438 where radio buttons 439,440 areprovided to approve or not approve the price. If the customer approvesthe price then the customer's credit card can be charged and a suitablevehicle can be deployed by the provider of the service to the pick-uplocation.

The customer GUI 400 will also have a messaging system portion 454having a data entry and display area 455 for a customer or passenger tocommunicate with the provider of the taxi/delivery service, the driver,and/or the vehicle.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary service-provider or manager GUI 500 to allow ahuman to manage the fleet of vehicles. The manager GUI 500 will have astatus section 502, an accounts section 504, a monitor of fleet ofvehicles section 506, and a weather section 508. The status section 502provides detailed information about every vehicle in the fleet andpreferably displayable in sortable tables, such as the AvailableVehicles table 522 having columns such as owner name 523, vehicle type524, current location 525, vehicle number 526, etc. Additional columnscan be added to include any of the information gathered from the owner,the registered vehicle, and from other sources necessary for the purposeof providing taxi/delivery services using a fleet of vehiclesconstituted by disparately owned autonomously driven vehicles.

Under the heading Vehicle X 527, is a detailed listing of allinformation known about vehicle X. A user can select a vehicle from thetable 522 using a mouse click or other selection method and the detailedinformation is provided. The detailed information can includeinformation such as a vehicle number 528 such as a VIN number, licenseplate number or other identifier. The present location 530 of thevehicle X can be displayed based on information sent from the vehicle,or other source such as a global positioning satellite network (GPS),GOOGLE MAPS, and others (map view 533). The present location can also bedisplayed based on data collected from an onboard camera to show thelocation from the perspective of the vehicle or street view 533.

The detailed listing of information for vehicle X can also provide theowner's name 534, a schedule for the vehicle 535, a travel log 536showing all trips made for a specified period of time, terms of use 537,and operating parameters 538 as defined herein. The detailed listing canalso include account information 504 where any of the accounts can bedisplayed alone or in a sorted list under columns such as account number540, total fares earned 541 for a given time period, and the owner'sshare 542. The issue payment field 543 can facilitate payments by theprovider of the taxi/delivery service and include a field foridentifying the person who authorized the payment 544.

The manager GUI 500 also includes a display area to monitor the fleet ofvehicles 506 using a map 560 showing the location of every fleetvehicle, or a selected vehicle(s) in a particular geographical area.Indicia representing the location of each vehicle in the fleet ofvehicles can be shown on a map, and a manager of the taxi/deliveryservice can select a vehicle using a mouse click or other data entrydevice and obtain the detailed listing for that selected vehicle. Theindicia can be color coded to represent the type of vehicle, its status(not available, available, or in use, for example) or other parameter asdesired. Also, a message vehicle data field 561 is provided for themanager to communicate with the vehicle or the passengers of the vehicleusing a data entry device such as a keyboard, keypad, either virtual orreal, and a microphone for oral dictation of a message.

The manager GUI 500 can also include a weather monitoring area 508showing a panel of weather conditions 580 and a Doppler radar display581 for example.

Suitable autonomous driving vehicles referred to are those that arefully automated and capable of safely traversing roadways, airways,planetary orbits, railways and waterways without human input from anonboard driver/pilot/captain/astronaut (“driver” for short). Thevehicles can be ground engaging vehicles such as wheeled vehicles,tracked vehicles, sleds; flying vehicles such as drone helicopters, anddrone fixed-wing aircraft; rail engaging vehicles such as trains andmonorails; space flying vehicles such as rocket drones; and waterengaging vehicles such as drone ships, boats and submarines.

Suitable autonomously driven wheeled vehicles include those having fromone wheel to 18 wheels and more. While the autonomously driven vehiclecan operate without driver input, such vehicles can allow for drivers,onboard or remotely located, to override the autonomous control systemand take control of piloting the vehicle, without departing from thescope of the present invention. In one exemplary autonomously drivenvehicle 700 shown in FIG. 7, the vehicle has a telematics system 701with input from sensors such as RADAR 702, LIDAR 703, LASER 705, and anoptical camera(s) 704. The vehicle will also have an antenna 710 forreceiving and transmitting signals to control and monitor the vehicleand for other purposes. The telematics system will have a navigationsystem 712 and a control system 714 implemented by software to controlthe speed and direction of the vehicle safely on roadways and withouthuman intervention. The optical camera(s) when used in conjunction withface-recognition software, and the customer image 403, can recognize thecustomer to assist in locating a pick-up location. The optical camerascan also work in conjunction with other software for recognizinglandmarks, reading addresses, for use by a provider of the taxi/deliveryservice to help navigate the vehicle, or to record the successfuldelivery of a fare or package, among numerous other possibilities thatare only limited by the imagination of a person skilled in the art.

FIG. 8 shows a simple schematic representation 800 of an interactionbetween a provider of the taxi/delivery service 801, a customer 802 witha cellular telephone 803 communicating through an electronic network 804to place a ride order and the provider 801 communicates through thenetwork 804 or directly to an autonomously driven vehicle 805.

FIG. 9 is a schematic representation of a server 900 for providing ataxi/delivery service using a fleet of autonomously driven vehiclesowned by an unassociated group of individuals or entities. The server900 can have a processor 901 and a memory 902. The memory can storesoftware for carrying out the methods disclosed. The server will alsohave a database of a list of fleet vehicles 903 with the detailedinformation set forth above for each vehicle. The server will also havea scheduler 904, an accounting module 905, a module for providing acustomer GUI 906 and a manager GUI 907. The server will also have anavigation module 908 capable of communicating with GPS systems andother road sensors and with fleet vehicles to guide fleet vehicles topick-up and destination locations. The server will also have a selectionmodule 909 for selecting the most appropriate fleet vehicle for the rideorder. The server will also have a registration module to provide theregistration GUI 910 for registering fleet vehicles, a communicationmodule 911 for sending and receiving electronic communications, amessage module 912 for text communications among fleet vehicles and theserver 900, an authentication and security module 913, and aconfirmation/QC/QA module 914. The server will also have aservice/repair module 915 for tracking the operating parameters of afleet vehicle and determining whether the vehicle needs servicing of anytime such as refueling, fluids check, tire pressure check, engine tuneup, etc.

The authentication/security module 913 is employed through software andhardware and is responsible for verifying the identity of the customerand maintaining the security of communications necessary for theimplementation of the taxi/delivery service. The confirmation/QC/QAconfirms a ride order has been successfully completed to thesatisfaction of the customer and the service can be analyzed usingquality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) methodologies. Should anissue arise that needs human intervention, a message will be sent to theprovider of the service for resolution.

FIG. 10 shows a courier GUI 1000 for a customer to use for pick-up anddelivery of inanimate objects such as packages or non-human livinganimals such as pets. A courier customer will go through a registrationprocess much the same as a taxi customer, although there may be somedifferences to account for the delivery of inanimate objects rather thanhumans, and other commercial terms may be used for transferringownership of and responsibility for the items being sent. The courierGUI will provide data fields to display or enter a customer name 1001,an account number 1002, a package type 1003, a weight of the package1004, the dimensions of the package 1005, a pick-up location and adelivery destination 1006, and a cost of delivery 1007. A data field1008 is provided to specify the need for a driver and/or to select adriver to assist in delivery of the package. The courier GUI will alsohave an accounts section 1010 to track payments for deliveries. Thecourier GUI will also have a status section 1012 for the customer totrack the status of shipments including the present location and anestimated time for delivery.

FIG. 11 shows a car-rental GUI 1100 for customers to use like a rentalcar. The car-rental GUI 1100 will have data fields for a customer name1101, address 1102, driver's license information 1103, credit cardinformation 1104, insurance information 1105, a vehicle selectionsection 1106, scheduling information 1107, rental period 1108, cost 1109and terms of service 1110. A person may choose to rent a car overrelying on multiple taxi trips to run errands where there are multiplestarts and stops over short periods of time that makes placing a rideorder for each trip less convenient than renting for a specified timeperiod.

Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possiblein light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understoodwithin the scope of the appended claims the invention may be protectedotherwise than as specifically described.

We claim:
 1. A method for operating a taxi and delivery service ofautonomously driven vehicles comprising: providing a registrationgraphical user interface (GUI) for owners of autonomously drivenvehicles to register for use in the taxi and delivery service;registering a plurality of autonomously driven vehicles to define afleet of vehicles; providing a customer GUI for a customer to requestthe use of an autonomously driven vehicle from a pick-up location to adestination location or for a period of time, each for an associatedfee; selecting an autonomously driven vehicle from the fleet of vehiclesbased on the availability of the vehicle, and the proximity of thevehicle to the pick-up location; deploying the selected autonomouslydriven vehicle from its current location to the pick-up location;entering either the destination location into a navigation system or atime period where the customers can use the selected autonomously drivenvehicle; receiving payment from the customer for the taxi and deliveryservice; and remitting a payment to the owner of the selectedautonomously driven vehicle for use of the vehicle.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the fee amount is first approved by the customer beforean autonomously driven vehicle is deployed to the pick-up location. 3.The method claim 1 further comprising the step of providing a secondweb-based interface for the owners to specify when their vehicles willbe available for use.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the secondweb-based interface provides data fields for the owners to specifyconditions of use of their autonomously driven vehicle.
 5. The method ofclaim 4 wherein the second web-based interface displays to the ownersthe locations of their autonomously driven vehicles.
 6. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising the step of providing a server to trackoperating parameters of the autonomously driven vehicles in the fleet ofvehicles.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the operating parametersincludes the speed of the vehicle, the direction of the vehicle, the oiltemperature, the battery charge amount, the fuel level, the roadconditions, oil level, fluids levels, and tire pressures.
 8. The methodof claim 7 further comprising the step of ordering a fleet vehicle toreport to a specific location to refuel.
 9. The method of claim 7further comprising the step of ordering a fleet vehicle to report to aspecific location for service or repair.
 10. The method of claim 1further comprising a third web-based interface for a customer to place aride order.
 11. The method of claim 10 further comprising a server fortransmitting messages in response to receiving ride orders including anestimated time of arrival of the selected autonomously driven vehicleand the amount of the fee.
 12. The method of claim 11 further comprisingtransmitting a signal to the customer of the location of theautonomously driven vehicle in route to the pick-up location.
 13. Asystem for providing a taxi and delivery service using a fleet ofautonomously driven vehicles owned by an unassociated group ofindividuals or entities comprising: a server having a processor and amemory storing computer readable instructions when executed by theprocessor takes the following steps: provide a registration graphicaluser interface (GUI) for owners of autonomously driven vehicles toregister for use in the taxi and delivery service; register a pluralityof autonomously driven vehicles to define a fleet of vehicles; provide acustomer GUI for a customer to request the use of an autonomously drivenvehicle from a pick-up location to a destination location or for aperiod of time, each for an associated fee; select an autonomouslydriven vehicle from the fleet of vehicles based on the availability ofthe vehicle, and the proximity of the vehicle to the pick-up location;deploy the selected autonomously driven vehicle from its currentlocation to the pick-up location; enter either the destination locationinto a navigation system or a time period where the customers can usethe selected autonomously driven vehicle; receive payment from thecustomer for the taxi and delivery service; and remit a payment to theowner of the selected autonomously driven vehicle for use of thevehicle.
 14. The system of claim 13 wherein the fee amount is firstapproved by the customer before an autonomously driven vehicle isdeployed to the pick-up location.
 15. The system claim 13 furthercomprising the step of providing a second web-based interface for theowners to specify when their vehicles will be available for use.
 16. Thesystem of claim 15 wherein the second web-based interface provides datafields for the owners to specify conditions of use of their autonomouslydriven vehicle.
 17. The system of claim 16 wherein the second web-basedinterface displays to the owners the locations of their autonomouslydriven vehicles.
 18. The system of claim 13 further comprising the stepof providing a server to track operating parameters of the autonomouslydriven vehicles in the fleet of vehicles.
 19. The system of claim 18wherein the operating parameters includes the speed of the vehicle, thedirection of the vehicle, the oil temperature, the battery chargeamount, the fuel level, the road conditions, oil level, fluids levels,and tire pressures.
 20. The system of claim 19 further comprising thestep of ordering a fleet vehicle to report to a specific location torefuel.